Fannie Never Flinched

To Celebrate Workers on May Day

Farrell, Mary Cronk. Fannie Never Flinched: One Woman's Courage in the Struggle for American Labor Union Rights. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2016.

Author Farrell has added a forgotten name to the list of champions of the rights of workers. Fannie Sellins was a widowed mother of four when she went to work in a garment factory in St. Louis at the turn of the 20^th century. Along with her co-workers, mostly immigrants, she endured difficult and dangerous working environments, including foul air, locked doorways, low wages, and long hours, conditions not unlike those that exist today in sweatshops around the world. In 1902, Fannie and her colleagues started a local chapter of the United Garment Workers of America. They organized several strikes, experiencing both success and failure in their struggle for better working conditions. When Fannie was elected president of her local union, she began traveling to other cities and towns supporting other workers, including the coal miners of Pennsylvania. Fannie knew she was a target of the owners and moneyed interests of the coal industry, but, despite the violence of their labor disputes, she “never flinched.” In August, 1919, leading a strike near Pittsburg PA, she was shot. Her killers were brought to trial, but were exonerated, their actions described as “justifiable homicide,” despite witnesses’ accounts to the contrary. Today, a statue of Fannie Sellins stands in Arnold PA, commemorating her courageous struggle on behalf of American workers.

        

Photos from the time, newspaper clippings, a timeline of important events in labor history, a glossary, and a long list of references at the end of this book not only illustrate the fascinating story of Fannie Sellins, they also provide an excellent example of the level of research that goes into a book such as this. Though written for children, it is a story we can all learn from. 

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